.. so , do not just stop at a radical reduction of the F.C.C. . Better yet , go for the full enchilada . Given the F.C.C. ‘ s [and the ObamaCrap White House ‘ s] conduct in this so – called ” Net Neutrality debate , the F.C.C. has effectively sealed its own fate …

.. according to this intel report , the ObamaCraps are considering [and are likely to supply] the support of Egypt , Tunisia , and Israel with border control technology . It is not exactly cheap , either . The intel estimate is around $100 million to $500 million . My guess is that it is going to cost about 10 to 20 times that amount , or about $8 billion to $10 billion …

.. You had better believe that this request is going to go to Congress . It is an important appropriation . You are taking about some serious scratch , well above these countries ‘ annual aid request , espc. Egypt ‘ s . Tunisia right now barely gets anything at all . Also , the ObamaCraps like to play games with the aid that goes to Israel in order to swend a political message to Bib . So doing this means they are likely to put that aside [for once] for the greater good of battling ISIL ..

.. Israel can help fund this on its own . Egypt can help , but even it needs help . The Tunisians need a ton of help .. Also , all three countries are seafaring nations , so that also has to be considered , as well ..

.. at least these dummies are considering getting off their butts for once . No , they are not considering sending US troops , at least not yet . But they are at least will to send some US personnel in order to train these folks in order to help themselves . That is , for once , at least , a big switch …

.. you can bet the Hill [Congress] is going to have questions . Lots of them . Including ones about our own southern border …

.. POTUS is operating under the Bush – era AUMF from 2001 . It gives a President a great deal of flexibility . Amazingly , though , Obama does not want that flexibility , given the authority that comes with it , and the responsibility [as well]..

.. the new AUMF that Obama wants [ironically] would ” tie ” a President ‘ s hands . Given the terms , Congress will not pass such a thing ..

.. also , given POTUS ‘ antics elsewhere in the government , Obama has no trust going with Congress . It is not just that Congress does not like him . That goes without saying . Congress just plainly does not trust him , not one bit …

.. retired Gen. Michael Flynn [former head of the Defense Intelligence Agency] was testifying before Congress the other day . You think that he would not be political . Well , you would be wrong . Not overtly , mind you . But he mounted the parapets and let the guns open fire at the ObamaCraps …

.. Flynn called for a reorganization of our war effort against the Islamic militant threat . He called for a joint international effort , similar to N.A.T.O. . That was not all , to say the least …

The former head of the Defense Intelligence Agency slammed the Obama administration on Monday as “well intentioned” but paralyzed and playing defense inits the fight againstIslamic militancy.Recently retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn called for the U.S. to lead the charge in a sweeping, decades-long campaign against the Islamic State group, al Qaeda, and its ilk—a fight like the one against the former Soviet Union—against a new enemy he said is “committed to the destruction of freedom and the American way of life.”

“There is no substitute, none, for American power,” the general said, to occasional cheers and ultimately a standing ovation from a crowd of special operators and intelligence officers at a Washington industry conference.

He also slammed the administration for refusing to use the term “Islamic militants” in its description of ISIS and al Qaeda.

“You cannot defeat an enemy you do not admit exists,” Flynn said.

He said the administration is unwilling to admit the scope of the problem, naively clinging to the hope that limited counterterrorist intervention will head off the ideological juggernaut of religious militancy.

“There are many sincere people in our government who frankly are paralyzed by this complexity,” said Flynn, so they “accept a defensive posture, reasoning that passivity is less likely to provoke our enemies.”

Flynn refused to name President Obama as the focus of his ire in comments afterward to The Daily Beast, saying that he was simply “sending a message to the American people.” But the comments show the widening rift between some in the national-security community who want to see more special-operations and intelligence assets sent into the fight against ISIS and other groups in Syria and beyond.

.. the ObamaCraps are notorious at gaming the system . They have effectively and severely undermined the Congressional system of oversight by failing to back up Capitol Hill . Congress needs to know that , even with partisan disputes , that the Administration will have its back so that it can do its job of oversight . Right now , the ObamaCraps have gravely undermined that understanding . As a result , Congress cannot effectively do its job …

.. worse is the lack of co – operation in the timely production of documents . Congress needs the Administration ‘ s timely co – operation so that it can move on issues in an effective and efficient manner . The Obamacraps have severely undermined that by dragging their feet , time after time , and has badly affected time – known nostrums within our system of government .

.. somehow they have to find a way to fix this , or our system of government , and our freedoms will be severely undermined …

.. congressional oversight is an important part of Congress ‘ job . Besides the making of law and the changing of law , understanding and investigating what is going on in the government at large is damned important . However , Congress is only one part of a 3 – part system of government …

.. Congress relies on the separation of powers . Congress can issue a subpoena , but it relies on the other two branches to enforce a subpoena . The judicial branch will clearly enforce one , but what about when the executive branch is clearly failing to do its job ….

….Right now , I believe the Executive branch is failing in its duty . They should be acting to enforce a Congressional subpoena . However , right now , they are not doing so . They are actively working to obstruct the work of Congress by failing to do so . Worse is the conduct detailed here …

.. [h/t — LegalInsurrection.com]..
.. [link] to the news article …

… from Investor ‘ s Business Daily [ and Legal Insurrection.com]…

DOJ Working With Elijah Cummings To Protect The IRS

An aide to the attorney general accidentally calls the office of the House Oversight Committee chairman, asking for help in spinning the defense of the agency whose head just said they obey the law when they can.

We have commented many times of the all-too-cozy relationship between the IRS and Democratic members of the House and Senate, with members writing to the agency demanding that specific conservative groups and political action committees they find particularly irritating be subject to the “special scrutiny” that the Tea Party and other conservative and religious groups were subjected to in the ongoing scandal.

Of particular interest to us has been Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., ranking member on Rep. Darrell Issa’s House Government Reform and Oversight Committee, who has made every effort to keep the committee from finding out the true extent of IRS corruption and abuse of power in its targeting of conservatives…

Now we have Brian Fallon, a former aide to New York Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer and a communications aide to Attorney General Eric Holder, who mistakenly called Issa’s office thinking it was the office of Cummings and asked for help in leaking documents to selected reporters for the purpose of creating media spin before Issa and his committee could make them public.

As Jonathan Strong reports at Breitbart News, now the subject of an IRS audit, a letter sent by Issa to Holder about the call “describes Fallon as ‘audibly shaken’ when he realizes his request to leak documents to help get ahead of news stories about them was mistakenly made to the very office he was seeking to undermine.”

.. The Executive is actually acting in concert with the House minority to obstruct the investigative acts of the House majority . They are leaking news stories through to the House DemoCraps , who then leak them to so – called ” friendly ” members of the LameStream media . They do it to try to get ahead of a news story in order to manage a news cycle …

.. it is , to say the least , not what they should be doing . They should be co – operating with the House and the Senate , fairly and equally , no matter who runs the place . Conspiring with one side against the other helps to damage our system of government and helps to endanger our rights …

.. the ObamaCraps are famous for this . There have been a number of circumstances during his lordship ‘ s nearly two terms in office where he has acted to ” redefine ” the terms of the compact that is our Constitution . Usually , there has been at least some [but tenous] connection to an applicable ..

.. this limitation on the actions of the Executive Branch is nothing new . It also is not something that was a creation of the current majority of Republicans in Congress . The guilty party , in fact ? The Democrats , for the most part . They passed the limitation , called an appropriations rider in the early part of 2009 , when they has the majority in both Houses of Congress . They were not exactly thrilled with the idea of the Gitmo detainees ending up here in the United States . Thus , in a rare time of bipartisan cooperation , both parties voted to stop His Lordship and his cronies from moving those goofballs to a US prison .

.. [-] elect a GOP President , preferably a conservative . It will make things a great deal easier to reform the process when His Lordship is out of the Oval office …

.. [-] do away with the filibuster in the Senate — The Dems will know that the ” handwriting is on the wall . ” They will then fight any possibility of budget reform with every tooth and nail at their disposal . As a result . It will be time to say bye – bye to the filibuster …

.. return to a zero – based budgeting process . This will help a ton …

.. have programs automatically sunset after a period of time . No exceptions . The most popular programs [and the most necessary ones] will survivie . The fights will come over the far more debatable ones …

.. [-] a massive overhaul of government is in order . Yeah , our Government is waaaaay to big . It needs to be chopped back down to a far more manageable size ….

.. what POTUS is proposing to do , in addition to eliminating the legal liability of an individual illegal immigrant , is 1000% illegal and unconstitutional …

.. why ?? ..

.. [-] there is no authorization in the law for the programs that he has created [such as D.A.C.A.] , or others that he wants to create …

.. [-] any funds handled by the government are by definition , federal funds . It does not matter whether they are gathered and collected by taxes or fees …

.. [-] in addition , those fees are also not authorized by law , either …

.. [-] Presidents have explicit and implicit authority in the Constitution . Beyond those powers , however , their powers are extremely limited . Their job is to carry out the laws ” faithfully ” that are passed by Congress and signed by him / her …

.. this policy is being grossly misused and abused to silence employees . It is especially galling , considering the needs of the press and most of all , of Congress . Congress sets the rules , not State …

.. the ObamaCraps want to close the place . They want to in the worst way . However , in an amazing twist , POTUS does not have the ultimate authority to order the final release of a detainee … the SecDef does …

.. yes , it is only a beginning . At least both parties are taking Puerto Rico ‘ s problems seriously ..

.. but , ultimately , it is the commonwealth itself that has to govern itself and manage its finances in a proper manner ..

.. default is obviously not an option . Public services are ending . Schools are closing . Bankruptcy is not likely an option , either . Sharp spending cuts will have to be shared by all , including pensioners ..

.. so what happens with the ObamaCrap White House ?!?! They have a massive hissy snit – fit …

.. they act as if PM Bibi ” spat ” in their face . Nothing could be further from the truth . Congress wants to hear from someone overseas [not connected to the ObamaCraps] who is in favour of the Iran sanctions bill . Like the ObamaCraps , Congress is using a foreign leader to make its case …

.. [h/t — TimesOfIsrael.com]..
.. [link] to the news article …

.. I worry about this country ‘ s safety and security , at least while the ObamaCraps still have their hands on the levers of power . Sooner or later , they are going to do something really stoopid , and then …

.. She has to be taking flack for this . The Clintons are notorious for tight message management . It even applies to members of Congress . So she is going to catch heat for this …

.. she is [however] one not to be trifled with . She is a veteran member of Congress , a member of several terms of standing . Also , she is a war heroine . She lost parts of both of her legs in war service [in the US Army] in Iraq [in Operation Iraqi Freedom] . She received the Bronze Star , the Silver Star , the Purple Heart , and the Distinguished Service Cross . So , she is no wuss …

.. she was being brutally honest and frank about what had happened with Miz Hillary and her e – mail . More so since she would be a strong cinch to be a Miz Hillary supporter in a possible presidential campaign . So this one has to sting …

.. it also means that Miz Hillary is in even more trouble than before . Having a private e – mail system for official business was already a big no – no . The private server was an even bigger no – no . But the likelihood of the improper use , storage , and transmittal of classified material is a real topper . A special prosecutor can now no longer be avoided …

.. Puerto Rico is now in deep trouble . They have now officially defaulted on about $400 million in government debt for a specialized agency . it is just one default , but there will be others to come ..

.. as a territory [officially a commonwealth] of the United States , the P.R. cannot file for bankruptcy w.o. the permission of Congress . Right now , Congress is not forthcoming with that permission , at least not as of yet . But the debate has been engaged on the subject ..

.. since many essential services in P.R. are delivered by the P.R. government , the P.R. is husbanding what few resources that it currently has . They are keeping essential services , such as schools , police , fire , and others ..

.. Congress must act , whether POTUS likes it or not . At a minimum , Congress should and must pass a new sanctions bill . It would be one that would give the body the power to review any final deal on sanctions with Iran . Yes , POTUS will veto it , but that does not matter . Congress must step in and override his veto …

.. that is only a starting point . The overall sanctions regime must be reviewed , and then must be tightened . Iran must be educated and made to understand that the United States cannot and will not back down …

.. Some of the sanctions are executive in nature . Those are ones that POTUS can deal with on his own . However , the others are ones that were passed into law by statute . Those are ones that POTUS cannot waive ….

.. you would think that there are no court cases out there . There would be no way in order to reverse POTUS ‘ action , and crack down on his antics on misconduct in office …

.. Wrong ! …

.. there is this little matter of Az Dream Act Coalition (sic) v. Brewer . It is a case out in the loonie land of the judiciary , the 9th Appeals Circuit Court . Yeah , that one . So , what is it about ??

.. when POTUS pulled his stunt on D.A.C.A. (for the Dreamers) , Az Gov Jan Brewer retaliated . She made it explicitly clear that under Arizona law , illegal aliens were clearly ineligible to receive documernts such as Az driver licenses . They were not able to , already . Her E.O. made it more explicit . So , the coalition sued …

.. the Federal District Court in Phoenix said no . However , a 3 – judge panel of the 9th Circuit said yes , that Dreamers could get these government documents , such as driver licenses . Even though AZ law was clear on the subject , that they were ineligible , and thus not allowed …

.. I think that the U.S. Supreme Court could reach down to this court , grab the case , and fast – track it for briefs and arguments at the Supreme Court . Boy , would that set off a circus . It would , in addition to the likely impeachment inquiry that would result from such an order . People will think that potus WILL GO SMALL . iN THIS CASE …

.. in for a penny , in for a pound . I think that Obama will go for ” the gusto , ” and supposedly ” legalize ” as many people as he thinks that he can get away with ….

— [update] — well , His Lordship did do it , just but not as much as I expected . Also , now , Arizona has a new GOP governor [Douglas Ducey] who is just as committed to this case . This case is far closer to the US Supreme Court than anything else , so stay tuned …

.. it seems that Our country ‘ s Treasury Department is a glutton for punishment . Also , they want to be stuck in court with multiple court cases ..

.. So , what the fart is the big brawl all about with these ” tax inversions ?? ” …

.. simple , and for 2 reasons . One is our country ‘ s tax rate . Currently our’ s top tax rate for corporations is about 35.0% , which is the highest in the Western World . Having a rate that high is going to inspire many attempts to go to tax havens , and the use of tax dodges ..

.. the other is the way our country taxes corporations . Worldwide , companies are taxed generally one way . They only pay tax on the earnings on the income earned in that specific country . Our does it radically different . Our country taxes income on companies on a worldwide business basis . It just does not mean our nation alone , but in every other country on the planet ..

.. Treasury is trying to legislate by ” executive order ” or by regulation . Oops . Regulations may interpret and implement existing law . They may not act to write new law . That is Congress ‘ job ,folks ..

.. So , what happens ? The stuff get challenged in court , and by a company willing to take on the battle .most companies do not want the to spend the fuss or the tIme .But some do . Those are the ones that will benefit from the battle [and the expense]…

.. the Congressional Research Service [the so – called non – partisan research arm of the Library of Congress] was requested to do research on the subject of His Lordship ‘ s Executive Amnesty . Whether it was legal , or not ? Also , whether Congress could step in and block the use of funds for a specific purpose ? …

.. C.R.S. says , yes , they can . Congress pays the bills . They can also say , Mr. President , no , you cannot use taxpayer funds for this reason , or for this purpose …

.. also , monies paid in by taxpayers are taxpayer funds , subject to rule and regulation by Government agencies and to permission and / or prohibition by Congress . So , Congress has control over fees , as well …

.. I think that the Office of White House Counsel reminded the President that only some of the sanctions were Executive in nature . Those type of sanctions were ones that the POTUS can change / alter / delete at his / her whim . However , there are others . The Neutrality Act of the 1930s is a precedent that the ObamaCrap to pay attention to and not ignore …

.. the other Iran Nuclear sanctions are statutory in nature . Those are ones that were enacted by Congress . As much as His Lordship might want to try and waive them , he cannot . Congress is the party that must act . They must change them / alterhm , or delete them ……

.. so Congress will have its say. What that say might be is anyone ‘ s guess …

— [update] — well , they effectively have not had their say . The DummyCraps have filibustered the one resolution in the Senate , and the House rejected its companion . The one resolution that did clear the House states that ” the clock on Congress ‘ consideration of the subject ” has not started . That one passed overwhelmingly …

.. it appears that the ObamaCraps have made a very , very large designation of wilderness in the state of Alaska . It is enormous , containing over 12.5 million acres of land . You would think , no biggie , right ?!?! …

.. Wrong ! Much of this land contains a great deal of the discoverable and provable resources of oil and natural gas in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge [A.N.W.R.] . Worse , the ObamaCraps did this move without any consultation with the state and legislative leaders in Alaska . Neither party [GOP or Dem] was consulted at all …

.. nice move , dummies ! This move can and will be challenged in court . Also , you can guarantee that Congress will get involved in this . If the ObamaCraps can pull this stunt in Alska , which has a congressional delegation with little punch , it can do it elsewhere , in states with much more political punch …

.. the mullahs in Qum , the p5 + 1 [including the U.S.] both agreed to “side deals ” that were not supposed to be disclosed . Whoops ! …

.. ironically , who caught these idiots ? the Associated Press , of all people . They worked their buns off , and caught the other parties in the act . The ObamaCraps are still in denial about it , though . Which figures …

.. Iran , in an unusual arrangement , will be allowed to use its own experts to inspect a site it allegedly used to develop nuclear arms under a secret agreement with the U.N. agency that normally carries out such work, according to a document seen by The Associated Press . The revelation is sure to roil American and Israeli critics of the main Iran deal signed by the U . S . , Iran , and the P5 world powers in July . Those critics have complained that the deal is built on trust of the Iranians, a claim the U.S. has denied . The investigation of the Parchin nuclear site by the International Atomic Energy Agency is linked to a broader probe of allegations that Iran has worked on atomic weapons. That investigation is part of the overarching nuclear deal . The Parchin deal is a separate, side agreement worked out between the IAEA and Iran. The United States and the five other world powers that signed the Iran nuclear deal were not party to this agreement but were briefed on it by the IAEA and endorsed it as part of the larger package .

.. Without divulging its contents, the Obama administration has described the document as nothing more than a routine technical arrangement between Iran and the U.N.’s International Atomic Energy Agency on the particulars of inspecting the site .

The agreement diverges from normal inspection procedures between the IAEA and a member country by essentially ceding the agency’s investigative authority to Iran. It allows Tehran to employ its own experts and equipment in the search for evidence for activities that it has consistently denied — trying to develop nuclear weapons…Olli Heinonen, who was in charge of the Iran probe as deputy IAEA director general from 2005 to 2010, said he can think of no instance where a country being probed was allowed to do its own investigation. Iran has refused access to Parchin for years and has denied any interest in — or work on — nuclear weapons. Based on U.S., Israeli and other intelligence and its own research, the IAEA suspects that the Islamic Republic may have experimented with high-explosive detonators for nuclear arms at that military facility and other weapons-related work elsewhere. The IAEA has repeatedly cited evidence, based on satellite images, of possible attempts to sanitize the site since the alleged work stopped more than a decade ago.

.. yes , there are some necessary changes . Section 215 needs to be clarified , for example , to allow for the metadata program . The metadata program is a very worthy program , and it needs to be made clear that it is wanted , needed , desired , and is constitutional …

.. by Congressional tradition , only POTUS [even this louse] can speak to a Joint Session of both Houses of Congress . No one else . Everyone else , no matter who it is , speaks to a Joint Meeting of the Houses …

.. once I have it , I will post [hopefully of good quality] a video of Bibi ‘ s speech . It is important , damned important , in the debate over any possible nuclear agreement with the Mullahs in Qum [Iran] …

.. also , now people are ” awake , ” and they are starting to understand why border security is so important . Courtesy of stupidity like D.A.C.A. , we have a tragedy and a mess on the border . People are actually paying attention . So , His Lordship cannot play sneaky with this and sneak this stuff over on us …

.. I would not be surprised if this became a base plate for a bill to deal with this mess . Not on the spending , of course . That is going to be one hell of a donnybrook , and will take a while . This one deals with the underlying policy muck – up , and hopefully begins to straighten it out . Some spending might be tacked on , but not much …

.. presuming A] the California legislature would approve (it just might) , and B] the US Congress would approve (doubtful) , Ca would split into 6 pieces …

.. 3 largely GOP …

.. Jefferson (the north) , South California (the Inland Empire , south through San Diego County) , and Central California (the vast farming region in the center of the state) . I include Central Ca in this given the damage that the ecosocialists in Sacramento have done to the farming region . Set free , they can run their own affairs …

.. 2 largely DemoCrap …

.. West Ca (LA and the surrounding area to the north , including Santa Barbera) , and Silicon Valley (duh!) , and

.. 1 largely fair fight …

.. North Ca (the mountainous area between Jefferson and Silicon Valley) ..

.. who knows what may happen ? . It will likely be on the ballot in 2016 , which is a presidential year . However , the turnout , given California ‘ s current status , is likely to be lousy . So , this issue , especially if it has the field largely to itself , could have an interesting battle …

.. part of its legltimacy comes from the process . A Select Committee is not for softballs or tiddlywinks . I is the Congressional big leagues , where people want to and need to get at the facts . The Dems may want to screw around , but they should not . This sctuff is serious ..

.. if enough schtuff is found , Obama and his cronies could be in serious deep doo – doo …